Refrigerator



June 11, 1935. G. E. FRIEDRICH REFRIGERATOR Filed DeC. 4, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 H B 3D E m Cl www G. E. r-RlEDRlcH 2,004,692

REFRIGERATOR June 11, 1935.

Fled Dec. 4, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 El El.

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G50/m5 E. FR/ER/@H June 11, 1935. s. E. FRIEDRICH REFRIGERATOR Filed DSC. 4, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Junezll,

UNITED STATES PATENT ortica r REFRIGERATOR George E. Friedrich, San Antonio, Tex., assignor to Edward Friedrich, San Antonio, Tex.

Application December '4, 1934, Serial No. '155,954 l 'i Claims. (Cl. 62-'102) My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in refrigerators of the general type disclosed in Letters Patent No.,1,893,769, issued January 10, 1933, and it primarily has for its object so to modify and improve the patented re` frigerator as to obtain greater eciency and more uniform temperature throughout the refrigerating compartment of the cabinet or case. While the refrigerator of Letters Patent No. 1,893,769 was a considerable step in advance in the art, I ind that by the construction, arrangement and -combination of the parts herein shown and described in this application I am enabled to eiect an equalization of the temperature throughout the cabinet or case within'four degrees at any given points, while with the construction as shown in Letters Patent No. 1,893,769 the equalization is only within seven or eight degrees.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends, the invention still further resides in the novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be irst fully described in the following detailed description and then be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference beingl had tothe accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section on `the line I- I of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is aI cross section on the line 2 2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrow.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1. E

Figure 4 is a vertical section on the line 4--4 of Figure 1. m

Figure 5 is a detail sectional of one of the pans.

In the drawings, in which like numerals and letters of reference indicate like parts in all the gures, it will be observed that the base of the cabinet is composed of a bottom board or facing I, a top facing 2, and an interposed cork or other suitable insulation material 3.

The front wall of the cabinet is composed of a vertical facing 4 and an upwardly and rearwardly inclined facing 5 with bottom and top sills 6 and 1 and side standards 64 which constitute the window frames for the window glasses 68, hereinafter again referred to. 8 indicates cork insulation beneath the sill 6 and constitutes part of the front wall of the cabinet. f

The rear wall of the cabinet is composed of an outer facing 9, an inner-facing I4, and interposed 55 Ainsulation I5 of cork or other suitable material,

perspective View the rear wall including door frames I 0 and II for the lower and upper doors I2 and I3 respectively. IS designates a partition running lengthwise of the cabinet and spaced from the cork wall 8 to provide a bottom air collecting duct I1, the 5 top offwhich 'is closed by a plate I8. The partition I6 extends from adjacent one end `of the cabinet toward the other end and at the other end there.

is provided a, cross partition I9 which leaves a blower chamber 22 with which the duct I1 com 10 municates. The blower chamber 22 is closed at the top by board 28 and the partition I9 has an opening 2l through which the spout 24 from the blower casing 23 passes. 'Ihe blower casing 23 is located inthe blower chamber 22 and contains a 15 Yturbine or blower 25 which is driven by a motor 20.

29 designates the air distributing duct, one end of which connects to the nozzle 24, while the other end is closed and terminates adjacent the opposite side' wall of the cabinet. The duct 29 is composed 20 of a bottom plate 21 and a top plate 28, the latter being perforated so that air may pass upwardly therethrough.

The duct 29 is located between longitudinal cleats 38 that are located adjacent the insula- 25 tion I5 and partition I6 respectively (see Figure 2). Abovethe duct 29 is, the air cooling chamber 3| in which is located the/cooling means. 'I'he cooling means in the present structure is disclosed as a cooling coil unit 32 of any'approved 30 construction.

Resting on the plate I8 and on an angle bracket 33, which is secured to the facing I4 of the rear wall, is a series of pans 34 the construction of which is best indicated in Figures 1, 2 and 5. 35 These pans have upstandirm walls 35 vand horizontal flanges 36, one being somewhat longer than the other and turned down to provide a short vertical flange 31 to hook over the flange 36 of a succeeding pan. 'I'he pans also have side walls 38 and 40 are provided with flanges 39 one of which rests on the angle bar 33.

The upstanding walls 35 and 38 are perforated asat 48 to permit air circulation.

Placed above the pans 35 is a foraminous yfloor 45 4I preferably formed of crossed wires, which constitutes the bottom shelf of the cooling compartment of the cabinet.. Y l ,n

Located between the upper and lower door levels is a longitudinal vertical duct 42 having vertical 50 extensions or branches 42 located between theA adjacent upper doors. These branches 43 are provided with air holes 44 through which warm air at the top of the cabinet may be drawn into f che ducts |3 -4z. 'me duct 42 excendsthe entire 55' full length of the cabinet and at its ends communicates with the upper portions and 53 of the end down-air ducts. The intermediate shelf 49 is composed of crossed wires and is held on suitable supports 48. The supports 48 and 41 may be integral with or formed as brackets which are I secured to the ducts 42-43 by welding .or in any A other suitable desired way.

55 is the top plate of the cabinet over which the top glass 59 lies, the top of the cabinet being transparent and provided with a series of glasses, 59, as shown in Figures 1 and 2; The top wall of the cabinet is also provided with insulation 56, best shown in Figure 2.

outer facings 65 and cork insulation 51, the cork inner walls of which ducts constitute the inner facings or linings of the end walls of the cabinet, the lining of the top of thev cabinet being indicated by 63. The front glass plates 60 have disposed between them the usual dehydrating tubes 62.

In order to support the pan 34 which is adjacent partment is extended down and provided-with a horizontal angle portion 66 on which the pan may which compartment the air is drawn into thev blower housing 23 and driven outby the blower through the nozzle 24 into the distributing duct 29. From the duct 29 the air passes through the perforated top 28 of the duct andthrough the cooling compartment 3|, from whence it passes through the apertured pans and oor 4| into the food chamber oi the case, thus completing the cycle. 4 y

It will be noted that the duct |1 is enclosed completely from the cooling compartment 3| and from the air distributing duct 29, and the air is Vcarried in the dict |1 the full length of the case to the blower compartment 22 where it is propelled into the duct 29 underneath the cooling coil, as before described.

Actual tests with a refrigerator made in accordance with the drawings and description of this application have shown that the temperature throughout 'the interior chamber of the cabinet does not vary more than four degrees between any two points, which makes for a very emcient operation of the refrigerator.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is Mounted on a suitable support 41 is an approxidrawn into the duct. The duct 45 also extends the The end walls of the cabinet are composed of insulation 51v embedding the down-air ducts, the

the wall I9, the lining 6| over the blowercomdirectly into the blower compartment 22, fromthought that the complete construction, operation and advantages of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art.

What ,I claim is:

l1. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a food compartment which extends substantially the full length and depth and height of the cabinet, a iloor for said compartment having air passages, an air collecting duct and a cooling chamber extending lengthwise of the cabinet beneath the floor, cooling means in said cooling chamber, a blower chamber at one end of said cabinet with which one end of said air collecting duct communicates, a down-air duct located at each end of the cabinet, said air collecting duct communicating at one end with one of said downi-'air ducts andcommunicating at the other end with said blower chamber, a blower in said `blower chamber, an air delivery duct extending from said blower beneath said cooling chamber and terminating adjacent the opposite end of the cabinet and having a foraminous top to deliver air into said cooling chamber, an approximately horizontal combined food shelf and return air partment, spaced below the top thereof and communicating at its ends with said'down-air ducts respectively.

2. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a vfood compartment which extends substantially the full length and depth and height of the cabinet, a oor for said compartment having airpassages, an air collecting duct and a cooling chamber extending lengthwise of the cabinet beneath the oor, cooling means in said cooling chamber, a blower chamber at one end of said cabinet with which one endof said air collecting duct communicates, a down-air duct located at each end of the cabinet, said air collecting duct communicating at one end with one of said down-airducts and communicating at the other end withsaid blower chamber, and a blower in said blower chamber, said cabinet having door openings, vertical ducts between the adjacent door openings and having air inlets adjacent the top of said ducts, a vertical longitudinal duct into which said vertical ducts deliver, the ends of said vertical longitudinal duct communicating with said down-air ducts respectively.

3. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a food compartment which extends substantially the full length and depth and height of the cabinet, a iioor for said compartment having air passages, an air collecting duct and a cooling chamber extending lengthwise of the cabinet beneath the floor, cooling means in said cooling chamber, a blower chamber at one end of said cabinet with which one end of said air collecting duct communicates, a down-air' duct located at each end of the cabinet, said air collecting duct communicating at one end with one of said down-air ducts and communicating aty the other end with said blowerchamber, a blower in said blower chamber, an air delivery duct extending from said .blower beneath said cooling chamber and 'terminating adjacent the opposite end of the cabinet and having a foraminous top to deliver air into said cooling chamber, an approximately horizontal combined food shelf and return air duct extending lengthwise in said compartment, spaced below the top. thereof and communicating at its ends with 4said down-air ducts respectively, said cabinet having door openings,

duct extending lengthwise in said coni-f ings and having air inlets adjacent the4 top of 75 said ducts, a vertical longitudinal duct into which said vertical ducts deliver, the ends of said vertical longitudinal duct communicating with said down-air ducts respectively.

4. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having doors in one of its walls, a vertical longitudinal air duct extending beneath the door level and having vertical branches located between adjacent door positions, the vertical branches having air inlets adjacent their tops, a down-air duct located in each end wall of the cabinet with which downair ducts the ends of said vertical longitudinal air duct communicate, a blower chamber adjacent the bottom of the cabinet with which the end of one of said down-air ducts communicates, a return air duct extending from the bottom of saidother down-air duct to said blower chamiber, an air delivering duct -extending alongside said returnair duct at the bottom of said cabinet and having its upper wall perforated, cooling means above said perforated wall, and a floor having air passages and located above said cooling means.

5. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having doors in one of its walls, a vertical longitudinal air` duct extending beneath the door level and having vertical branches located between adjacent door positions, the vertical branches having air inlets adjacent their tops, a down-air duct located in each end wall of the cabinet with which down-air ducts the ends `of said vertical longitudinal air duct communicate, a blower chamber adjacent the bottom of the cabinet with which theend of one of said down-air ducts communicates, a return air duct extending from .the bottom of said other down-air duct to said blower chamber, an air delivering duct extending alongside said re'- tum air duct at the bottom of said cabinet and having its upper wall perforated, cooling means above said perforated wall, a oor having air passages and located above said cooling means, and a series of pans having air passages and being located between said floor and said cooling means.

6. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having doors in one of its walls, a vertical longitudinal air duct extending beneath the door level and having vertical branches located between adjacent door positions, the vertical branches vhaving air inlets adjacent their tops, a down-air duct located in each end wall of the cabinet with which down-air ducts the ends of said vertical longitudinal air duct communicate, a blower chamber adjacent the bottom of the cabinet with which the end of one of said down-air ducts communicates, a return air,duct extending from the bottom of said other down-air duct to said blower chamber, an air delivering duct extending alongside said return air duct at the bottom of said cabinet and having its upper wall perforated, cooling means above said perforated wall, and a floor having air passages and located above said cooling means, said cabinet having a shelf spaced from the top of the cabinet and comprising a return air duct Whose ends are connected to said down-air ducts.

7. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having doors in one of its walls, a vertical longitudinal air duct extending beneath the door level and having vertical branches located between adjacent door positions, the vertical branches having air inlets adjacent their tops, a down-air duct located in each end wall of the cabinet with which downair ducts the ends of said vertical longitudinal air duct communicate, a blower chamber adjacent the bottom of the cabinet with which the end of vone'of said down-air ducts communicates, a return air duct extending from the bottom of said other down-air duetto said blower chamber, an air delivering duct extending alongside said return air duct at the bottom of said cabinet and having its upper wall perforated, cooling means above said perforated Wall, a floor having ail` passages and located above said cooling means, said cabinet having a shelf spaced from the top of the cabinet and comprising a'return air duct whose ends are connected to said down-air ducts, the shelf-duct being inclined, and means along the low edge of the shelf-duct to hold food containers on the same.

GEORGE E. FRIEDRICH. 

